This invention relates to a cork wall covering composition having a backing material on one side thereof and a facing material on the opposite side thereof and more particularly relates to a process for the manufacturing of a cork wall covering material.
Many different products have been suggested and used for wall coverings in the past few years. A large number of these coverings have been prepared from laminated products utilizing thin wood veneers with cloth or paper backings and attaching the laminated product to plywood, sheetrock or the like. Cork wall coverings have also been proposed wherein the cork has been generally attached to a cloth or paper backing and then adhesively secured to a sheet of plywood, sheetrock or directly to an already existing wall. It has also been suggested to coat the cork laminated wall coverings with vinyl coatings or lacquers at a thickness of 5 mils or less, thin coatings being suggested because of the natural resilience of the cork and with severe demands put upon the coating system the coating must withstand flexing and elongation and possess elasticity. However, the thin lacquer and vinyl coatings have not proved to be satisfactory. When the product has been worn to an amount equivalent to the thickness of the coating applied, the resulting worn product is then equivalent in wearing properties to a conventional cork surface covering and thus is subject from then on to all the tendencies of uncoated cork to be scratched, soiled and stained. Furthermore, attempts at applying films such a polyvinyl resin films have proven unsuccessful since it has been difficult to find the proper adhesives which will attach the polyvinyl resin films to the cork and yet expand and contract upon flexing and elongation of the cork without showing wrinkles, delamination or other distortions in the product.